International Business

Course description

This course examines the global environment in which firms operate and how that environment affects the strategies and choices the companies make. We will examine how businesses are managed across different countries, considering factors both external and internal to the company. For example, while considering international expansion, a firm needs to take into account exchange rates, international taxation, free trade agreements, market conditions, culture, language, politics and many other factors which will affect its operations, but over which it has little control. In the context of these external factors, a firm must then make internal decisions to devise a strategy effective for operations in the global environment. Does the firm choose to export its products or invest in production facilities in a new country? Should the company buy production facilities or businesses already present or build its own? What about a joint venture with a local entrepreneur? How do local culture and language influence domestic and international operations of the firm?  

This course will investigate these and other questions as part of an exploration into how international corporate strategy is shaped and what are the economic factors that influence it. More broadly, the course will offer insights into major topics as well as emerging themes in international business.